


Enchanted

by thejammys



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Forbidden Love, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:55:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22985926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejammys/pseuds/thejammys
Summary: Thor is engaged to a prince of Jotunheim. The wrong prince.
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 194





	1. The Visit

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: thorkiweek day 1 prompt: Jotun AU
> 
> This was supposed to be a one-shot, and as with all things it completely got away.

Thor became engaged at the ripe age of one hundred and seven.

Odin made the arrangements. He did not consult his only son on the matter, but assured Thor that this marriage was in Asgard’s best interest. A king existed to serve his people, and Thor was bred for duty.

Jotunheim didn’t offer much by way of trade, and from everything Thor had read about the climate and landscape he was not eager to visit. But Odin was concerned with the strength of Jotunheim’s military, and that if their king, Laufey, was to make an alliance with the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim it would prove dangerous for Asgard.

Thor didn't have enough background knowledge of either realm or the political tensions that existed before he was born to speak in an informed manner. He was meant to nod and do as he was told.

Laufey had three sons. The oldest, Byleistr, had been groomed much like Thor to succeed his father as king. Thor asked his father how a marriage between kings would fair if each ruler needed to sit on their respective thrones and govern their lands. Odin shook his head and assured Thor that such a match would not be fruitful, and he would not have Thor choose between his spouse and his realm.

Laufey’s middle son, Helblindi, was two hundred years older than Thor. Odin reported that he enjoyed wrestling, hunting, and drinking. He believed that the second prince of Jotunheim and the golden son of Asgard would make a fine match.

It was true that Thor enjoyed those things as well, and much of the merriment he savored with his friends involved those activities. But as the years went by, Thor worried over what it meant to be a part of a pair. Odin and Frigga were wildly different, and it was their dissimilarities that kept their conversations interesting and their perspectives fresh. Surely Thor would not thrive with a mirror of himself.

“Why did you marry father?” Thor asked her once as they walked through her gardens together.

“I wanted to meet you,” she’d answered with a pinch to his nose.

Blessed with the gift of sight, Frigga was more informed in her decision making. Thor had to trust his father’s judgement.

Five years after Odin informed him of his engagement, Thor remembered that Laufey had another child.

“What of the third son?” he asked one day at a meal.

“Who’s son?” Odin answered, not looking up from his plate.

How fortunate for his father to be able to think about something other than the betrothal that he could not ascertain who Thor was referring to.

“King Laufey. He has a third son, doesn’t he?”

Odin looked up and fixed Thor with a harsh look. The king only had one eye, but its gaze was heavy.

“You will never meet him,” Odin answered.

Thor frowned. “Is he ill?”

Odin turned back to his food. “In a manner of speaking.”

That was as much information as Thor got for the next two years.

oooooo

Jotunheim was worse than Thor imagined. No amount of descriptions or drawings could prepare one for the sensation of bitter cold. When the Bifrost deposited the party from Asgard on a snowbank, Odin remarked that the weather was quite temperate.

Thor wholeheartedly disagreed.

Laufey was huge. At least four feet taller than Odin, and one and a half times as wide. Without a shirt on, his hard muscles laid bare and intimidating. Thor was distressed at the sight of him and his aggressive nipples, terrified of the size of his offspring.

His fears were well-founded, for when he was introduced to the crown prince and to his fiancee Thor had to crane his neck to meet their eyes. When Helblindi shook Thor’s hand his fingers wrapped almost entirely around Thor’s hand and wrist.

The grip was gentle enough that Thor knew he was not in any danger, but the amusement he saw in Helblindi’s eyes put Thor in his place.

_ ‘He will snap me in half’  _ Thor thought as he gave a low nod and said, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” as he tried to force his teeth not to chatter.

Helblindi smirked, and it was not unkind, but it made Thor uneasy. “Asgardian,” was all he said in response.

This did not feel like his match, his person, but for Asgard Thor would keep his mind and heart open. He told himself that while Odin may be thinking solely of the political interests of Asgard, Frigga would not let her baby boy marry the wrong person. She wanted him to be happy.

At dinner, he and Helblindi were seated across from one another. Much of the conversation stayed between Byleistr and Helblindi, and they did not seem inclined to include Thor. He wished for someone to talk to, as picking at the strange food on his plate in silence was making him feel small and awkward.

His father was seated beside Laufey and his mother had not joined them on this visit. There were a handful of Asgardian pages and guards, but none that Thor could reasonably invite to sit beside him at a table with the princes. He supposed his father intended for him to be getting to know his intended better, but every time Thor spoke he received a grunt or a smirk in response. Thor glanced around the dining area, smaller than Asgard’s, and watched the Jotuns engaged in conversation. Their voices were all deeper than Thor was used to at home. There were no booming cries of revelry, tankards of ale swinging about, or bright golden candles giving everyone a lovely glow as they feasted on smoked meats and hot fresh bread.

Their meal tonight was some kind of scallop and eggs. The eggs were huge, and not from any animal that Thor recognized, but he supposed that Jotuns had higher metabolisms and needed to eat more to fuel their larger bodies and insulate themselves against the cold.

Half of his egg remained on his plate, and while it wasn’t unpleasant it was just a lot of  _ egg _ .

“How old are you?”

Thor looked up from his dish, and paused his egg lament, to find the Jotun princes looking at him. He didn’t know their voices well enough to be sure who spoke.

“A hundred and fourteen,” Thor answered.

Helblindi and Byleistr exchanged an amused glance. “Same age as Loki,” they murmured in unison.

Thor waited for them to elaborate, or address him further, but they resumed eating and talking amongst themselves. He wanted to ask, “Who is Loki?”, but he did not expect to get an answer, so he went back to cutting his egg up into smaller pieces to give the appearance that more of it had disappeared in his belly.

After dinner, the princes bade Thor a good night and departed without another word. Odin would likely be occupied with Laufey for the better part of the evening, and Thor had been instructed not to go off on his own.

There was no one for Thor to explore with; to spar with; to talk with.

It was early to be heading to bed, but Thor felt too disheartened to do much else. It was important that he remain on his best behavior, and seeking out a tavern or making company with the wrong person could make him look poorly in the eyes of his future spouse.

Telling Helblindi he was a rude git would  _ certainly _ get him in trouble, and that was the only other thing he felt like doing. If he were at home right now he could go and see his mother, and ask her to tell him that everything would be all right.

Thor sighed as he walked to the room that had been readied for him. A bath would help to kill some time. Ordinarily Thor loved soaking in a tub and letting his muscles relax in perfumed waters. But his favorite herbs were on Asgard, this tub was far too large for Thor, and the soreness he felt was not from a rousing spar or day well-spent building, but from clenching with nerves and the cold.

With his sleep clothes on, Thor grabbed every fur in the room and piled them on the bed. On Asgard, Thor liked to sleep with the window open so he could hear birds and keep airflow moving while he dreamed. Here the window was bolted shut, and it made Thor wonder about who had this room before him. 

When he slipped under the many covers and adjusted himself to get comfortable, Thor growled at the situation. He did not expect to bed his fiancee after their first meeting, and he wasn’t particularly eager to have Helblindi beside him, but he felt so foolish and burdensome.

Thor wrapped his arms around himself while he waited for his temperature to adjust. It did nothing to warm him.

He wasn’t sure if it was colder inside the palace or out.

oooooo   
  


The next morning Thor woke up early to steal a moment alone with his father before breakfast. He had barely slept the night before, despite having spent so much time in bed, and found himself short-tempered before the day had even begun.

“Father, do you know of a Jotun named Loki?” Thor asked as they walked to the dining hall.

Odin gave Thor the same sharp look he had years ago. “Where did you hear that name?”

Thor frowned, confused by his father’s tone. “The princes, last night at dinner, they asked me how old I am and when I told them they said I am the same age as Loki.”

Which, to Thor, meant there was someone who might make the time to entertain him and keep his company. He did not relish the thought of turning in early again only to toss and turn with his stomach in knots.

“Loki is the third son of Laufey.”

Thor perked up at this. By all rights it should be one of the foreign princes duties to make sure Thor felt welcomed and enjoyed his time here.

“Is he here in the palace? Perhaps we could -”

Odin stopped suddenly and gripped Thor’s shoulder much harder than necessary. It was already sore from the cold and the uncomfortable bed, and Thor had to school his face quickly to avoid wincing.

“Hear me, child. We’ll not be arranging any time for the two of you, and your duty is to prince Helblindi. Do not go off chasing his younger brother.”

Thor was old enough to know that shaking off his father’s grip was a bad call, but his pride was wounded. He wasn’t suggesting that he go off and have  _dalliances_ with the third prince - he just wanted to have some fun in this realm.

“I only thought that someone my age might be more likely to keep my company and show me more of Jotunheim,” Thor explained, holding his father’s stare.

Odin tightened his grip and Thor grit his teeth. “Helblindi will keep your company, I’ll speak to Laufey about it. You are not to ask about Loki or seek him out. Do you hear me?”

The thought of guaranteed time with his intended should have filled Thor with pleasure, but having his father arrange it made the whole thing feel like more of a play-date. Surely Helblindi would not respect a man who could not even keep the attention of his betrothed on his own.

“I hear you, father,” Thor answered. When Odin released him and set off again, Thor paused for a moment to rotate his arm and shake off the discomfort his father’s hands left on him. No one, not even those who were several feet taller than him, had the power to make Thor feel as small as his father did.

He had just exhaled enough complaints to satisfy him through breakfast and was ready to join his father’s side again when Thor heard a small  _ dunk _ noise and a hissed, “Damn!”

Thor turned his head in the direction of the sound and nearly jumped.

Peering out from behind a tall column were two bright red eyes, fixed right on him.

It was far away enough and set back under the shadow of the curved ceiling that the rest of the face was hidden, and Thor could not be sure if he recognized it.

But he believed he would have remembered meeting those eyes.

And it was odd that they were peering at him like this.

Thor took a step in their direction when his father barked his name.

“Yes, sir,” Thor called back, turning to nod to his father and respectfully acknowledge him.

When he looked back to the column, the eyes were gone.


	2. The Swan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's late-night quest for a snack leads him to a prince.

oooooo

The day would go down in Thor’s mental journal as one of the most unpleasant of his life.

Beyond the call of duty he felt as a prince to be a respectable ambassador for Asgard and show up as the best version of himself for his future spouse, Thor could not shake the image of his father’s angry face.

_ “Your duty is to Helblindi.” _

He kept this phrase in mind as the events of the day continually tried Thor’s willingness to stick to his commitments.

At breakfast, Thor took a seat across from his intended and attempted to make polite conversation.

“How did you sleep, Helblindi?”

The thrilling exchange ended there, and Thor focused his attention on the smoked meats in front of him to avoid the shame of being ignored.

After breakfast, Laufey instructed his son to give Thor a tour of the palace. Thor had given similar tours for dignitaries on Asgard, and was grateful for a built in excuse to fulfill his obligation to Helblindi.

It became apparent that he was the only prince with any intention of following their duty..

“Are you lost?” Byleister asked after Thor headed in the same direction as he and his brother.

The tone wasn’t derisive, but it made Thor’s stomach clench. They were treating him like an ignorant clingy child that they didn’t want to play with.

“Are we not meant to be on a tour?” Thor asked, standing up as tall as he could and hoping to appear confident.

Helblindi exchanged a glance with his brother and they each fixed him with matching frowns. “Don’t you hate having to perform on these diplomatic visits?” he asked.

Ordinarily,  _ yes _ , Thor hated having to get up and put on underwear and bow and pretend to be interested in art while he chewed his nails in anticipation waiting for a hunt to begin - but this was different.

“We are engaged to be married. I would enjoy getting to know you.”

This turned out to be incorrect.

While the princes of Jotunheim acquiesced and allowed Thor to join them, his notion that getting to know Helblindi would be enjoyable in any way shape or form turned out to be wildly misguided.

Their first stop was an enclosure behind the palace filled with strange creatures.

_ Perhaps they mean to teach me about the local wildlife. _

Wrong!

An audience of no less than fifty circled an arena, jeering and hollering at the ice beasts inside.

It was horrible.

Though Thor had witnessed horses being smacked on the ass during a ride into battle, it was nothing like seeing a massive whip slicing through the air and cracking like lightning when it struck the helpless beasts.

It was clear they did not want to fight, but the bloodthirsty crowd demanded a show.

Thor had to run to the bathroom to vomit in private after a winner was declared.

When the next stop on the brother’s itinerary was an outdoor market, Thor breathed a sigh of relief at the promise of fresh air and perhaps some cultural education in the form of shopping.

Wrong again!

The princes clearly had a reputation for causing hell with the vendors by the way the merchants tensed up and hid as Thor and his group approached.

The fear in their eyes was horrible, and Thor felt ashamed to be seen with Helblindi and Byleister. His horror grew when the princes began taking and destroying things. 

It was unconscionable to Thor. While he had enjoyed the privilege of free treats and trinkets from vendors on Asgard, he could not make sense of the theft. These were subjects, citizens, people that the princes had no doubt sworn to protect.

He felt as helpless as the merchants, knowing that if he did or said anything to challenge his hosts that his father would be furious.

Thor trailed slightly behind them and avoided eye contact.

After they had dolled out an amount of torment they deemed fit, Byleister declared it was time to train.

Thor perked up at this. Sparring was something he enjoyed, and exercise would give him a chance to let out the growing frustration he was forced to swallow.

But his delight was quickly shut down when Helblindi directed Thor to sit and watch.

“I can fight,” Thor protested.

Byleistr laughed as he stepped into the strange sparring field and Helblndi shook his head. “You are small, Asgardian. It would look very suspicious if we killed you.”

Thor’s cheeks immediately flushed and he wanted to rage. He was one of the strongest warriors in Asgard, an asset to their military. For Helblndi to dismiss him like this was humiliating and -

This particular offended train of thought burst off the rails when he saw Byleistr and his opponent tear into each other.

Point taken, Thor would have died.

By the time the princes had finished bathing and put their clothes back on, it was time for supper, and Thor was hopeful that meant he would soon be free of them.

The tiny bit of relief Thor felt upon sitting down to feast slithered out of his ear and disappeared when he saw their dish.

Fish heads.

No body, no side dishes, just mountains of fish heads with tiny dead eyes giving Thor a stinky look.

He glanced over to where his father was sitting and saw Odin eating his meal without hesitation or complaint.

“Something wrong, prince?” Helblindi asked.

Thor looked back at his  fiancé and shook his head. “This is new for me, I am merely unsure where to begin.”

“Start with the eyes,” Byleistr said with a wicked grin.

Thor went to bed hungry.

oooooo

Twice now Thor had come maddenly close to slipping off to sleep, only to have his stomach growl at him like the beasts he’d seen earlier. He tried curling on his side, to squish his tummy and silence it, but the horrible mattress was so much more unpleasant when he rested on his shoulder.

When his shoulder went numb and the noises coming out of him grew to a symphony that simply refused to be ignored, making Thor petulant and furious, he decided to do something about it.

It was difficult to tell the time, but Thor was certain it was the early hours of the morning. No one else but guards was likely to be awake, meaning Thor had a narrow window to sneak out and get some grub.

He hadn't wanted to insult the royal family, or the cooks, by requesting something other than the fish heads, but he reasoned that pretending to wake up in the middle of the night desiring a snack was believable enough.

As Thor slipped from his room and down the corridor he immediately spotted a problem.

In the dark all of these halls looked the same.

After circling for several minutes and failing to find his way out of the wing where the sleeping quarters were, Thor sighed and stopped.

_ “I just want some fruit!”  _ he thought to himself as he slumped his shoulders and prepared to spend the rest of the evening feeling miserable.

But the sound of feet alighting behind him made Thor’s spine tingle as he whipped around to face whoever had caught him.

The red eyes from this morning.

As this person stood up from their crouched position, having jumped down from the open window above them, Thor was reminded of a swan, lifting its head in a graceful motion to sit proudly on the water. Though they were a mere handful of feet away and illuminated by starlight instead of tucked behind a column, Thor could not make out their face.

Perhaps just a few inches shorter than Thor, though not as broad, they were hidden under a large black cloak with the hood pulled up. Their eyes glittered brightly, brighter than any others Thor had seen in this realm, but the hood cast a shadow on the rest of their face and beyond the sharp bridge of a nose, Thor could not observe much else.

The two stared at each other for a moment before the swan scowled.

“Why are you roaming the halls at this hour?” he hissed.

Thor was so transfixed by those eyes that it took him a moment to remember the skill of speech, and the ache in his stomach.

“I was looking for the kitchens.”

The swan crossed his arms and tilted his head back. “Your appetite is not sated by our feasts?”

“We had fish for dinner - fish heads - with the eyes -”

He felt stupid, tripping over words and stuggling to sound regal. His audience was equally unimpressed, and there was barely time to blink before Thor felt a dagger pressed to his throat and the swan was inches from his face.

“You were offered our finest delicacy and you have the  _ audacity _ to say it was not filling?”

Thor was more concerned over causing offense than the possibility of having his throat slit. His pulse beat against the blade of the dagger as Thor’s eyes strained to see more of the face now inches from his own. There was something about this person’s voice - it had a quality Thor could not name. It wasn’t familiar in the sense that Thor recognized it, and yet he knew it. A blend of deja vu and knowing exactly what the book of one’s life had in mind, this voice belonged in his story.

“I don’t mean to disrespect -”

He was interrupted by another hiss. “Arrogance. The golden son of Asgard comes to Jotunheim and rejects our hospitality. I should take you down right here for the insult,” the man snarled. At least, Thor believed it was a man with how deep the purr was.

Before Thor’s sympathetic nervous system even had the chance to activate, the man withdrew his blade and stepped back.

“But, as it happens, I also dislike fish heads,” he said as he sheathed the blade.

Thor blinked and frowned. “Um-”

“Did Byleistr tell you to eat the eyes first?”

_ Those horrible little fishy eyes. _

“Aye, he did…”

The man folded his arms across his chest and Thor could hear his grin. “And did you?”

Thor’s cheeks flushed, though whether the man could spy so in the dark was uncertain. “I tucked them into my napkin.”

The man snorted. “You’ll have to take that home and dispose of them on Asgard. It would be most insulting to our cooks should a maid find them in a bin.”

As charming as the thought of coming home smelling like old fish eyes was, Thor sensed a lightness to the other’s tone, one he had not heard from the princes.

“I will do so, thank you. How do you manage to avoid going to bed hungry after a fish head meal?” Thor asked, matching the grin he hoped was hidden under the other’s hood.

The man considered him for a moment before answering. 

“Come with me,” he said before taking off.

oooooo

The swan led them down a hallway Thor had not seen before, moving quickly and silently. If the effort to keep up and stay quiet didn’t eat up so much attention, Thor would have focused on how stunningly graceful the man’s movements were. His billowing cloak made more noise than his footsteps, and Thor wished the thing would just blow off and fly away so he could see the rest of this creature.

They were nearing a corner when the man suddenly snatched Thor’s wrist and yanked him behind a column.

Thor let out a surprised, embarrassing squawk, which was mercifully cut off by the man’s hand on his mouth.

His first instinct was to lick the fingers pressed to his lips, an old game played by children, but Thor was grateful that he had sense enough to sit on that particular urge. He became acutely aware of how heavily he was breathing through his nose now that the air was puffing against someone else’s slim fingers.

Not a second later, two exceptionally broad guards rounded the corner. The man had silenced Thor in time, for neither guard looked in their direction or appeared to think anything was amiss as they strode down the way Thor and his companion had just come.

“Good ears,” Thor murmured when the hand was removed.

Although this was not the path he had previously taken to the dining hall, Thor had assumed they were headed in that direction. This proved to be unlikely when the man reached another window and hopped up on the ledge. He had just started to climb up onto the roof when he noticed Thor was still standing on the floor.

“Well, are you coming?” the swan asked impatiently.

Truthfully, Thor was distracted by how elegantly the man had made that jump. It was cat-like in how effortless it looked, and Thor briefly wondered if he was in the presence of something magical.

“I thought we were going to the kitchens,” Thor responded somewhat lamely as he looked around the hallway.

“I never said that.”

Before Thor could protest that he wasn’t particularly in the mood to go climbing all over the palace like a spider he heard the low rumble of voices not far away.

“Did you hear that?” he whispered.

“I did, yes. You can either come with me, or stay here and explain to the guards why you’re prowling the palace unaccompanied in the middle of the night.

That seemed a dirty trick, since he was  _ not _ unaccompanied, but this man clearly had no intention of sticking around to take that fall and Thor did not fancy having that reported to his father. He jumped and hefted himself up onto the ledge, lacking the grace his companion had shown. When he pulled himself to standing, carefully as there was quite a drop behind him, he wasn’t certain where to go.

The man raised his arms up and wrapped his hands around a lip at the edge of the roof and in one swift motion, pulled himself up.

Thor gaped. The sleeves of the man’s cloak had slid down when he lifted his arms, revealing skinny limbs and bony fingers. Where did the strength for a pull up and a flip come from?

The man perched on the roof, clearly waiting for Thor to join him.

“How are you not sliding off the ice?” Thor whispered as the rumbling voices grew louder.

The red eyes glowed brilliantly enough that Thor could clearly see them roll. “You truly know nothing of this realm. Structures here are made with enchanted ice, and there’s little time to explain what that means.”

Thor was in no position to argue. Mimicking what he’d watched the man do, he raised his hands and gripped the lip of the roof. He was infinitely grateful for all the time spent building up his own muscles, as he wanted to be just as quick and strong as the man in front of him. But he wasn’t fast enough, and his companion gripped the back of his pants and pulled the lower half of his body up and over before Thor could get up on his own.

The impatience made sense when Thor heard the guards pass below.

“Did we climb up here just to avoid them?” Thor whispered as he slowly moved to all fours, looking mistrustfully at the sparkling smooth surface of the icy roof.

“No,” the man said as he hurried up and away.

_ ‘Are you kidding me?’ _ Thor thought as he cautiously attempted to follow.

Without knowing the details of enchanted ice, Thor did recognize that this was not the frozen water he was familiar with. His hands and feet did not slide out from underneath him as he cautiously climbed up. It was not wet, and not even as cold as he expected. Rather, it felt a bit like metal, and allowed Thor enough resistance to make it up to the top of the roof where the man was waiting for him.

There was no time to catch his breath, made shallow from nerves rather than exhaustion. The man took off again, moving with a practiced precision that suggested this was not his first time hurrying along a rooftop. Thor did his best to keep up.

It appeared that the man was approaching the edge of the roof when he suddenly jumped off and dropped. Thor shouted, but the wind swallowed his yell. He gave up his tentative crawling and sprinted to where the man had disappeared, only to glance down and see his companion looking up at him.

The swan was standing on a slightly inverted dome, seemingly made of ice but much more opaque and twinkling. The surface appeared to be moving like gentle waves.

Thor dropped down beside the man, grinning with relief that his companion was safe and at himself for getting so alarmed. “What is this?” he asked.

“A moon catcher,” the man replied as he strode to the center of it before sitting down.

“A what?” Thor asked as he followed and plopped down beside him.

“These capture the moon’s rays and allow us to repurpose them as energy. Asgard’s moon also controls its tides, no?”

Thor frowned. “Aye, but we don’t use it for energy. Hydro power perhaps, but this isn’t water…” he said as he looked down again at the surface of their seat.

The man took off the tiny bag he had slung across his chest. “Jotunheim sits on top of one large ocean, everything here runs off of those waters, which are controlled by the moon,” he explained smoothly.

“Will our sitting here interfere with the moon catcher’s ability to...catch?”

The man smirked and began rummaging through his bag. “No, Thor. We are too small to get in the way of the  _ moon _ .”

Thor laughed. “I feel at a disadvantage, for you know my name and I do not know yours.”

The rummaging produced two apples as the man withdrew his hands from the bag and he held one out to Thor. “Don’t you?” he asked, and Thor could hear that smile again.

“Thank you,” Thor murmured as he accepted the apple and tried not to stare at the fingers that had handed it to him. “I must confess I only know the names of the royal family.”

“Ah, so you do know mine,” the man said as he kicked his bag out of the way and folded his legs.

Thor took a bite of the apple and scrunched his brow. “Are there more than four?”

The man shook his cloaked head and took a bite of his own fruit.

Thor’s heart stopped and he nearly choked as the realization made him gasp. “So - then you’re-”

The man reached up to grip his hood and pulled it back, allowing Thor to finally fully see his face.

“Loki.”

If Thor thought the glittering round red eyes were transfixing, he was wholly unprepared for the loveliness of the rest of Loki’s face. He was certainly Laufey’s son, with sharp cheekbones and a jawline that could cut Thor better than the dagger from earlier, but he was so…

“Pretty,” Thor murmured.

Loki’s perfectly groomed eyebrows came together as he frowned. “What?”

Thor shook his head a bit to startle himself out of his reverie. “Pretty - I mean, um- ”

“Are you calling me pretty?” Loki asked, looking very much like he was about to test out what would best slice Thor’s skin open.

“I meant the apple - it’s good. Tasty. Pretty tasty. Yum,” Thor said as he took another huge bite to shut himself up.

Loki was clearly not convinced, and he continued to give Thor an unamused, skeptical suspicious look as he brought his own apple up to his mouth for another bite.

But Loki  _ was _ pretty. He was the first Jotun Thor had seen with soft curls and berry red lips. His fingers were long and slender and Thor wanted to see more of him.

“Thank you again, for the apple,” Thor tried after he swallowed. “These are one of my favorite fruits. I didn’t know they grew on Jotunheim.”

Loki raised his eyebrows.

“Not to say that I don’t believe you  _ can’t  _ grow them. I’m sure you know how, well not you but farmers, or yes you could know too -”

Loki grinned at him, amused at his attempts to avoid coming off as disrespectful. “These are from Asgard, they do not grow here.”

Well, that would explain the familiarity of the sweetness. Thor felt like a fool.

“Ah, yes, of course. Do you like it?” Thor asked, hoping to recover some semblance of princely demeanor.

Loki finished chewing and swallowing before answering, giving Thor more time to admire his profile under the guise of respectfully waiting. “They’re quite sweet,” he finally said.

Thor waited for more, like an answer to his question, but Loki took another bite. “I take it, that's a ‘yes’?”

Again, another quiet moment filled only with Loki’s crunching until he swallowed and said, “I am fond of sweets.”

_ Fond of sweets _ . Thor filed this away for later use, though he wasn’t sure what occasion would require such knowledge.

They passed a few minutes in companionable silence while they finished their apples, and Thor was about to ask if Loki had another when a violent shudder wiggled him instead. The shape of the dome largely protected them from wind chill, but it was still Jotunheim. It wasn’t warm.

“Here, Asgardian,” Loki said as he stood up and shrugged his cloak off.

Thor would have protested and insisted that Loki stay warm, but with the cloak off Thor’s eyes were treated to a lovely view of Loki’s long, lean limbs.

“You’re so…” Thor started, but paused when he caught Loki’s eyes narrowing at him.

“I’m so what?” Loki asked sharply.

“Different from your brothers,” Thor answered as he reached out for the cloak.

But Loki yanked his arm back. “What is  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

Thor’s brain scrambled for an answer that didn’t involve making more unwelcome comments about Loki’s body.

“You’re kind,” he said.

Loki’s lips parted slightly and his eyebrows twitched. “No, I’m not,” he said as he tossed the cloak onto the still-seated Thor.

It temporarily blinded Thor, giving Loki a chance to school his expression as he sat back down.

“Are you warm enough?” Thor asked as he tugged the cloak over his shoulders and immediately felt himself thawing. He wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask Loki to share the cloak with him.

Loki shrugged. “I’m a Jotun. We are quite used to the cold.”

Byleistr and Helblindi had not worn a shirt once, at least not that Thor had seen. Instead, their chests were draped with jewels and ceremonial armor. They wore loose leather breeches and walked barefoot through the realm.

Their little brother operated on a different frequency. There were no jewels littering his lithe frame, nothing to immediately distinguish him as a prince other than his otherworldly handsomeness. Loki’s chest was also covered in a dark grey long sleeve shirt that was cinched at the wrists with what looked like hemp rope, denying any view of the flesh that lay under the fabric. It was rather a plain garment for a prince to wear. Even Thor’s hunting clothes had delicate embroidery of lovely patterns. When Loki’s cloak had slipped down as they were climbing on to the roof, Thor had only the time to notice how slim Loki’s forearms were, and he entirely missed that they were covered. His bottom half was equally maddening, with dark leggings draping him from hip to ankle.

Covering any bit of him seemed rude and tragic to Thor.

Loki turned his head and caught Thor staring again.

“What?” he asked, although it didn’t sound much like a question.

“Your clothes are different from what I’ve seen other Jotuns wear,” Thor remarked, hoping this wouldn’t offend Loki.

“You mean my shirt?” Loki asked.

Thor nodded and crossed his legs beneath him to shelter more of his body under the cloak.

“Baring one’s chest is a symbol of strength on Jotunheim. It’s a way to show off battle scars or brands from victories. Traditionally my people only cover their chests when they’re with child, as a way to let others know they are not available for battle,” Loki explained as his fingers played with the end of his tunic.

With the leaping and jumping, it certainly didn’t appear that Loki was pregnant, and usually Thor could smell it on others. Perhaps Jotuns were immune to his fertility god senses.

“Is that why you’re covered?” Thor asked, hoping it wasn’t the case but uncertain why he wished so.

Loki gave him an unamused look. “No. My father would behead me if I got pregnant.”

A gust of wind shuttered through and gently tossed one of Loki’s curls off of his ear. Thor waited for the punchline, or for something more to that horrifying statement, when none was forthcoming, he scooted closer to Loki.

“Why would your father kill you for getting pregnant? Is it not the goal of the princes to carry on the royal lineage?”

Loki’s gaze had a way of making Thor feel naked. “What is the other difference you see between my brothers and me?” he asked quietly.

It felt like a trap, but Thor wouldn’t infantilize Loki by pretending he didn’t know the answer.

“Your size.”

Loki nodded and reached for his bag once more. “Precisely. I’m a runt, an embarrassment to the house of Laufey. If I were to reproduce, the child would also likely be a runt and my father would not welcome it, and if I managed to birth a properly sized Jotun it would surely kill me and then he would be left with the task of finding someone to care for it.”

“That’s horrible,” Thor murmured. “But I don’t understand, you’re obviously clever and quick - why doesn’t your father praise you for those things?”

Though he quickly hardened his expression, Thor could have sworn Loki looked pleased at the compliment, and truthfully Thor was grateful it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Everything on Jotunheim is about strength and power,” Loki answered. “Protecting the home, the family, legacy and honor - and I’m too small to fight. Even with my daggers, all my brothers have to do is sit on me and a match is over. I am told it’s similar on Asgard: the warrior is prized above the scholar.”

“But you have magic - you can fight with that.”

Loki snorted.

“Do you have sorcerers on Asgard?”

“Of course.”

“And what is the public opinion of them?”

Thor closed his mouth, conceding the point.

He realized, with a pang of shame, that the popularly held belief that sorcerers usually came into that craft as a result of weakness or cowardice was one Thor had also shared. The jokes made at the expense of mages and their pupils were an easy way to get a laugh on a hunt or a celebratory meal following a battle.

With a guilty grimace, he turned to see Loki watching him with a knowing expression.

“It’s the same on Jotunheim. The practice was nearly erased entirely after the last war, and now it’s nearly impossible to find texts on seidr.”

“How have you managed to study it?” Thor asked as he admired the way Loki’s jaw moved when he spoke. Though he was genuinely interested in what Loki had to say, he found the other prince’s features unavoidably distracting.

Loki shrugged. “I’ve found ways.”

It would be unthinkable to Thor to be barred from training or doing the things he loved. How horrible for Loki to not only be mocked for his studies, but to struggle to do them at all. Was Thor simply lucky to be interested in the sports his people praised and revered, or had he been pushed in that direction because of Asgard’s proclivity for battle? He had never paused to think about what else he might do with his time besides training, or the various studies his father insisted on as part of a rounded education necessary for a king. He enjoyed learning, and took his studies seriously as he wanted to be prepared for the task of protecting and ruling his people, but when Thor imagined doing so it always involved Mjolnir and a battle cry.

Another apple appeared under Thor’s nose, and he accepted it with a smile.

“Is this where you study?”

Loki nodded and rubbed his own apple with his sleeve. “One of the places. It’s private, so I’m unlikely to be disturbed.”

_ Private, pretty, romantic… _

Thor kept that thought to himself. “Do your brothers know you come here?”

“My brothers know very little about me.”

That was surprising to Thor. He was an only child, but whenever he fantasized about having a sibling the desire was rooted in wanting a built-in best friend. Someone to have adventures with, to confide in, and to commiserate about what it was like to be a son of Odin.

He was fortunate to have wonderful friends in Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, but he had always pictured something deeper in having a brother.

“They told me we are the same age,” Thor tried, unsure of how best to discuss this unfamiliar area.

“Yes, they told me last night,” Loki replied before taking another bite.

Thor’s eyebrows raised at this. “What else did they say?”

Loki took a deliberately long time to finish chewing his apple, smirking all the while. “You’re smaller than they expected.”

How dare.

In his attempts to hoard as much warmth as possible, Thor had made himself even smaller by curling in on himself underneath Loki’s cloak, and sat up straight upon realizing this.

“I’m considered quite tall on Asgard,” he replied, puffing up his chest.

The corner of Loki’s mouth twitched, and Thor realized he was being teased. It pushed a laugh out of him that deflated the posturing, which drew a laugh from Loki as well.

“Fret not, Thor, you’ll soon be rid of the giant Jotuns and back in your warm realm,” Loki said before taking another bite to hide his grin.

Free of needing to pretend otherwise, Thor gripped the cloak tighter and shivered. “I must admit I am unprepared for this weather. It’s spring on Asgard.”

“It’s spring here as well,” Loki answered. “That’s why it’s so mild.”

“This is mild?” Thor asked, horror struck at what that would mean for the winter months. His father mentioned that they would return to Jotunheim at the end of the year to partake of the realm’s traditional celebrations for Jjardein, a holiday they did not have on Asgard. Any optimism regarding a splendid party was now caped in fear that he would freeze to death before getting a chance to enjoy it.

As if to mock him further, a particularly harsh breeze burst through and made Thor’s teeth rattle.

“What is spring like on Asgard?” Loki asked quietly.

Unfortunately, Loki had asked so softly that between the hiss of the wind and the drumming of Thor’s teeth it went unheard.

The smack of an apple core hitting his head registered before Thor even realized Loki threw something.

“I asked you a question,” Loki said as Thor turned to him.

“Forgive me,” Thor said, “This wind is trying to kill me. What did you say?”

“Spring, on Asgard,” Loki answered, impatient at having to repeat himself, or perhaps of admitting to wanting to know this. “What’s it like?”

Thor adjusted himself under the cloak once more and thought of his warm, sunny home. “It’s beautiful right now. The flowers are all in bloom, and fruits are back on trees - it’s colorful and lively.”

Loki said nothing and stared at Thor, silently urging him to go on.

“We celebrate the beginning of spring with a ceremonial hunt,” Thor continued. “We usually get so much meat that the feasting lasts for days before we run out.”

“You don’t salt and save it?” Loki asked, looking perplexed.

“There’s no need. We have plenty of meat, and the feast is meant to thank the tree for providing us with sustenance.”

Not for the first time, Thor was humbled by the bounty of Asgard’s prosperity and how he had never wanted for his favorite meats. Even when harvests slowed in the cooler months, Asgardians never went without food. Whether the same was true of Jotunheim, Thor had no idea, and it wounded him to imagine Loki not having filling meals.

Before he could inquire about Jotunheim’s food supply, Loki interrupted him.

“I’ve heard there is more than one library.”

Thor grinned widely and nodded. “Asgard has several libraries, but the largest is located in the palace. Hundreds of thousands of works collected from across the nine realms for millennia.”

Loki looked positively aroused by this. He shifted to face Thor fully and leaned closer, eyes wide with eager interest.

“And you can read whatever you like? You don’t need permission?”

_ Permission _ … 

“Some books are so old they have to be handled carefully under the supervision of a librarian, but most books are free to borrow,” Thor said, unsure if that answered Loki’s question.

“On any subject?” Loki pressed. “You can read about anything you wish?”

Thor thought about it and nodded. He had never considered what a privilege it was to have such unrestricted access to knowledge, or that something could go unlearned as a consequence of control rather than a lack of interest, but the awe on Loki’s face told him this was not the same on Jotunheim.

“I’ve heard the queen can do magic.”

That came out as nearly a whisper, as though Loki feared someone would punish him for uttering it.

Thor nodded again and felt a bloom of pride in his heart. “My mother is the most talented sorceress I know. Her specialties lie in healing magic, but I know she is skilled in more. My father can also do a bit, but really only spells to aid in battle. There are plenty of scholars on Asgard who know more, though, or at least could direct someone to the proper book for studying whatever magic they were looking for.”

Loki let out a tiny whine.

“I’ve never studied it myself,” Thor continued. “You and my mother could have an interesting discussion about it, though. I’ll introduce you when you come to Asgard.”

That wiped the hungry look right off of Loki’s face.

“I’ll never travel to Asgard,” he said coolly, turning away.

“But your brother is coming for-”

“That visit does not include me,” Loki snapped. “My father doesn’t want his humiliation of a son on display for all of Asgard to see.”

Recalling his own father’s words, that he would never meet Loki and not to inquire about him, Thor frowned. He couldn’t imagine that he was forbidden from seeing Loki because of his size, but he had spoken about Helblindi’s scheduled trip prematurely. It was unlikely that Loki was intended for a visit to Asgard when Odin was so adamant about keeping them apart.

Loki was visibly upset, and while Thor understood what it felt like to feel like he didn’t measure up in the eyes of his father, his mother wouldn’t bat an eye at Loki’s size.

“I’ll ask my mother to join for my next visit here,” Thor said, wanting to see the tension in Loki’s shoulders slip away in the wind.

It did not.

“Even if she came, my father wouldn’t permit me to meet her,” Loki replied in a clipped tone.

“I’ll just bring her up here,” Thor said with a shrug.

Loki turned to him with an expression like Thor had suggested he eat his own arm. “You would drag your mother out here, in the middle of the night, and have her defy the wishes of her king just so I could meet her?”

Thor blinked and nodded. His mother was far and away the bravest person he knew. “My father doesn’t tell her what to do, and she would like you.”

The wind had calmed, and Thor realized he was no longer shivering. Loki was close enough that the bends of their knees were touching, and though he was tempted, Thor feared that glancing at that spot would draw attention and make Loki move away. He kept his focus on the other boy’s eyes, and tried not to swoon at the way the wind had left Loki’s hair fluffy and wild as though he had just been tangled in a passionate embrace.

“You think your mother would like me?” Loki asked, staring at Thor intently as though he was looking for the lie.

“Of course she would like you. And you would love her, she’s my favorite person.”

Whether he realized no ‘gotcha’ moment was forthcoming, or believed Thor’s words, Loki’s expression softened and the corner of his mouth tugged up. He looked down at the apple core in his hand, and then hastily stuffed it and the others into his bag.

“I should get you back to bed before you freeze to death,” he said, avoiding Thor’s gaze.

Though his nipples were pointy enough to cut glass, Thor found he would prefer to stay out here with Loki. But it would be most unfortunate for him if his father caught him doing so.

He held in his protest and followed Loki back the way they came, taking care to stay as quiet as possible.

When he recognized where they were and spotted the door to his room, Thor stopped walking and reached out for Loki’s wrist.

“Can I see you again?” Thor asked quickly, hoping his desperation wasn’t as evident as it felt.

Loki’s smile told Thor he heard it anyway, but he quickly pulled his lips forward to hide it and withdrew his arm from Thor’s grip. “So eager to disobey your father, have I been a bad influence on you this evening?”

Thor grinned as he pulled the cloak off of his shoulders and handed it back to Loki. “You gave me apples, you’re the best thing to come out of this visit so far.”

There was no hiding his twitching smile, and Thor felt victorious at how Loki hid his blushing cheeks under the guise of pulling his cloak back on.

“My father will throw me to the ice beasts if we are caught together.”

“I thought you didn’t listen to your father,” Thor egged, feeling triumphant at the way his words made Loki puff up.

“I  _ don’t _ ,” Loki hissed at him, looking very much like he itched to reach for his dagger again.

Thor folded his arms over his chest and looked smug. “Then what’s to stop you from meeting me here tomorrow night?”

Loki took a pointed step back and mirrored Thor’s position, mocking him. “I don’t want to.”

His expression was fixed, and Thor felt like he was mining for gold looking for any trace of amusement to betray Loki’s true feelings.

“Is my company not to your liking?” Thor tried, crossing his arms tighter and raising a brow.

“I find you dull.”

It was incredibly lucky for Thor that at the precise moment he bark laughed, a guard sneezed loudly down the corridor.

This put a timer on their goodbye.

“So dull that I couldn’t trade you more tales of Asgard for an apple?” Thor asked quickly, glancing in the direction of the sneeze and stepping closer to Loki so he would be heard.

Loki considered him for a moment and cocked his head. “Do you expect another unsatisfying meal or are you simply gluttonous?”

“Gluttonous,” Thor answered immediately. Little butterflies tickled the inside of his stomach with their wings when Loki smiled at that.

The youngest prince of Jotunheim uncrossed his arms and pulled his hood back on, sending his handsome face into a rude shadow. It may have been a trick of the light, or his own eyes adjusting, but Thor could swear that the blood red of Loki’s irises glowed brighter than they had all evening.

“I may be busy tomorrow evening, my plans are not set.”

“Perfect, then there is nothing to cancel,” Thor replied with a beam, uncrossing his arms as Loki had and placing his hands on his hips. He hoped the action made him look broad and strong, like a bird performing a mating ritual.

Those lovely eyes narrowed a bit in a way that told Thor Loki was grinning.

“We shall see, Thor.”

Loki stepped around him and leapt up onto the window ledge he had first dropped from earlier that evening. He turned to look at Thor for just a moment before disappearing from view.

Thor hurried into his room before the guards could spot him, and climbed into bed feeling giddy and warm. His cheeks were sore from smiling so much, but Thor couldn’t stop.

When he finally fell asleep, Thor dreamed of lovely eyes and a brother he had always longed for.

oooooo


	3. Sea Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews!

oooooo

Thor woke up with an erection.

On Asgard this wasn’t even noteworthy, but on a diplomatic visit where anyone could enter his bedroom at any time…

It would be less than dignified to have an attendant come to wake him and see this optimistic flesh weeping on his belly.

He rolled out of bed and followed his prick into the bathroom.

A cold bath ought to shoo away the little offender.

As the stone basin filled with frigid water, Thor recalled what Loki had said last night about Jotunheim sitting on top of one large ocean. He supposed Asgard worked similarly, but unlike his home Thor had not seen or heard of any beach on this planet. It seemed unthinkable that any water here would be enjoyable for recreational play, or even suitable for fishing.

It was so unbelieveably cold.

Thor stepped into the bath and yelped the moment his ankles were submerged in the glacial water. He cut the pipes off, no longer willing to torture himself into becoming an icicle just to be rid of a harmless erection.

The poor thing was stubborn and stood determinedly at Thor’s hips.

He crouched into a squat position, hovering over the water, and hastily cupped it and splashed it on himself. Each burst of contact made him wince and holler, and he moved as quickly as he could through cleaning his body.

Washing his hair sounded like a punishment, and it didn’t look terrible, but…

If he saw Loki again tonight then he wanted to look his best.

Thor nearly shrieked as the water rolled down the crown of his head and onto the back of his neck and shoulders. He moved faster than he ever had massaging soap through his blonde mop, and tensed his entire body when it was time to rinse the suds out.

He nearly flew to the towel hung up for him.

They were not made of the same material nor size that Thor was accustomed to on Asgard, and he would go so far as to say that these scratchy little cloths were pathetic in the interest of absorbing freezing water and helping his nipples return to a less alarmingly pointy state.

Once he was dry and ready to dress, Thor found himself stuck with the same problem that dragged him out of bed in the first place.

His cock was still so relentlessly hard.

Morning wood wasn’t always conducive to an orgasm, and often Thor could just wait it out while he moved through his wake up routine. But this was persistent.

_ Just a quick jerk _ he thought as he returned the useless towel to its perch and looked around as though checking his surroundings for prying eyes.

Functional masturbation for banishing a hard on or trying to fall asleep didn’t require engaging his mind in fantasy land, and more often than not just closing his eyes and enjoying the tugging of his fist was enough to get the job done.

Thor sat down on the edge of his bed and reclined onto his back while his legs hung off the side of the mattress.

His skin was damp enough still that when he wrapped a chilly hand around his prick the friction that so often accompanied dry contact was absent. He gave a few tentative pumps, to see if his body was really even up for a release or if this just needed another ten minutes to go away on its own.

_ Yes, please _ said his penis.

A gentle clenching of his balls and asshole made him squirm a bit as he continued to touch himself. He spread his legs wider, though it did nothing for his prick, and tightened his grip.

Though it was perfectly ignoble for Thor to fantasize about someone other than his intended while he pleasured himself, his mind tap danced right over the line of worrying about impropriety and supplied images of Thor’s late night companion.

_ Just don’t make it sexual _ he thought.

Loki had the loveliest curls Thor had ever seen. Thor wondered why no one else seemed to have the locks his future brother-in-law did. If he didn’t know better he might have guessed that Loki was not entirely Jotun. The way his eyes glittered so brightly, his size and frame...

His thoughts began to veer into a distinctly explicit category and Thor physically shook his head to try and control himself. It did not occur to Thor’s horny frozen brain that if he thought about Loki while touching himself, it didn’t matter if his thoughts were purely centered on admiration - they were still sexual.

Thor released with a sigh and laid panting on the bed for several minutes, blinking away the images his mind supplied at the moment of climax as they all involved Loki sans clothing.

He felt that he should be more disappointed with himself, but couldn’t seem to get there.

oooooo

When Helblindi and Byleister took off again after breakfast, Thor let them go. He had no desire to repeat the events of the day before, and instead felt his time would be better spent visiting the library and reading more about this realm. Odin was less likely to scold him for not insisting on spending time with the other princes if Thor made use of his day with education.

There had to be books and resources that were only available here, and Thor wouldn’t want to waste this opportunity to learn.

It was certainly not because he wanted to demonstrate to Loki that he cared.

Asking to be pointed in the direction of the library earned him a suspicious look from two guards, one of whom Thor thought he might have recognized from the evening before, but he kept his head high and thanked them.

On Asgard the doors to the main library were large and opulent. Glimmering gold and always open, as scholars argued that learning should not be restricted to daylit hours, they had a welcoming feel that drew citizens into the many rows of books. Just because Thor did not spend a lot of time in there didn’t mean he was unaware of the hall’s beauty or appreciative of the design.

Jotunheim did not seem to feel similarly.

The single door Thor was directed toward was shut, void of any sign indicating what awaited on the other side, and appeared locked.

He tentatively tried the handle and felt like he was doing something naughty with how discrete this doorway was.

When it unlatched and the door opened, Thor slipped inside and was relieved to see lights on and what appeared to be a librarian at a low table scribbling something on parchment.

“The Asgardian prince? What brings you to the library?” the Jotun asked as Thor approached.

“I wish to see your books on magic,” Thor tried, first testing to see if he would be granted access to things solely on the basis of being a foreign prince. That would likely hurt Loki, but if Thor was able to check a book out and bring it to him…

The librarian put down their pen and folded their hands. “We have no such books available, Asgardian.”

_ Poo. _

“In that case, I will take anything you have on Jjardein,” Thor replied, trying his best to sound regal.

“Very well. Wait here and I will bring some books to you,” the librarian Jotun answered, standing up to their full height and reminding Thor that no matter how impressive he wanted to sound he was still a tiny being on this realm.

Thor took this time to survey the space. The room he stood in looked more like an antechamber than a hall of literature. The librarian had disappeared into a door behind their table, and Thor guessed that the books were tucked back there and understood what Loki had meant by asking if Thor needed permission to read.

A single wooden table stood to Thor’s left, where a Jotun wrapped in a cloak sat and took notes while slowly turning pages in the book propped open before them. An empty chair sat opposite them, and though Thor did not wish to interrupt their studies, the remaining options for him were restricted to the floor or standing.

The librarian came back out and securely locked the door behind them.

“These will get you started, young prince,” they said as they handed over four books to Thor, who was surprised at how large they were.

“Thank you,” Thor murmured as he took them.

“We do not lend materials, to ensure their preservation. Please have a seat here while you read and return them when you are finished,” the librarian explained as they nodded to the table.

“I will.”

The Jotun at the table did not look up from their book when Thor slowly pulled out the other chair and watched for their reaction. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize, or ask if it was alright to sit, but without any protest Thor took a seat and opened the first tome.

_ Ah _ .

Right away he spotted a problem.

This was written in a foreign language, one that Thor had never seen. He didn’t want to share that he couldn’t understand this and make himself look like an unqualified prince, so he slowly turned the pages and hoped for something he knew.

After a few minutes of this with no luck, Thor closed the book and picked up a different one.

Better luck this time.

_ The turning of the moons and the closing of the last season is celebrated with a nine day festival known as Jjardein. _

Thor heard the librarian rise and disappear into that back room once more.

_ This is a time to thank the ocean for its blessings over the past year and pray for renewed prosperity after the winter. _

“It’s unwise to ask about magic, Asgardian. You may draw dangerous attention to yourself.”

Thor looked up, alarmed, and found the Jotun staring at him.

“I mean no offense,” Thor began, immediately worrying that this would be reported to his father and it would somehow reveal whom Thor had spent the evening with.

“Why seek out such texts on Jotunheim? Surely your realm has more than enough for you to study.”

Their voice wasn’t unkind, but their eyes were narrow and suspicious.

“I want to learn more about it. I met someone who studies seidr and I wish to be able to discuss it with them –”

“Who? Your intended, Prince Helblindi has no interest in such a thing. Neither does his brother.”

Thor’s heart dropped into his stomach.

“Someone on Asgard,” he corrected, clearing his throat to gain composure.

The Jotun leaned forward and his gaze became a glare. “If you don’t believe it when you say it, how can you expect someone else to believe it?”

Thor blinked and stayed silent.

“You need to be more careful,” the Jotun continued before leaning forward even further and dropping his voice to a near whisper. “Or you’re going to get me killed.”

_ Get him _ , who was this?

“What?”

With a bright flash of green, the face before him transformed into one Thor knew, and he nearly shouted when the glare aimed at him became Loki’s.

“Hello, Thor,” Loki said, and though his eyes were still menacing his tone was slightly amused.

Thor didn’t even realize how widely he was grinning until he tried to speak and felt the words struggle to come out through his smile.

“What are you doing here? Why do you look like someone else?” Thor asked, leaning forward himself so he could match Loki’s volume and not draw the attention of the librarian in the back room.

“My father has placed extra restrictions on what I am allowed to consume, so I take this form when I want to catch up on my reading,” Loki answered. “This way nothing gets back to my father and I am left alone.”

Thor was simultaneously impressed and broken-hearted for how Loki was treated.

“That’s very clever,” he replied. “What are you reading now?”

Loki leaned back a bit so he could lift up his book and show Thor the cover.

_ Seasonal Horticulture _

Thor raised his eyebrows and drew the corners of his lips down, impressed once more. “Planning on taking up gardening?”

Loki smirked at him and laid the book down so he could lean over it again. “I want to see if it’s possible to grow apples. I’ll be blue if I’m to wait until your next visit to enjoy one.”

The snort Thor let out at the pun was undignified and louder than he cared for. “Well, if it’s not possible I’ll just send you care packages full of them,” he replied.

A dark eyebrow lifted in amusement and Thor felt excitement squirm in his belly.

“Only if it’s not possible? What if it turns out to be a lot of work and I’d rather receive gifts instead?” Loki asked, voice so low it was practically a purr.

Thor leaned forward even further until his nose was no more than six inches away from Loki’s.

“I will send you all the apples you wish for.”

This answer seemed to please Loki, and Thor could swear he saw pink creep into the other prince’s cheeks.

“You’d have to find a clever way to get them to me. Our fathers would never permit you to offer me gifts.”

“I’ll sneak out to the Bifrost and deliver them myself,” Thor answered, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly and ignoring the little voice in his head that told him he needed to lean back and lean back  _ now _ before other instincts took over and he closed the gap between their faces.

He had known Loki for less than twelve hours and already felt drawn to him in a way that defied reason and threatened to be destructive.

“Is that a promise?” Loki asked through a grin.

“Yes.”

The sound of approaching footsteps made the princes spring away from each other and Loki quickly shifted back to the face he wore before. He picked up his writing instrument and pretended to be engaged in his note taking, as though he had not stopped writing for a moment while the librarian was gone.

Thor didn’t return to his book so easily, and stared at the boy across from him.

The ramifications of the temptation he just felt started to wet his mind. If his father were in charge right now, he would have Thor return his books, go find Helblindi, blow off Loki tonight and never meet with or think about the youngest prince again. Thor could write off last night as a youthful indiscretion born out of hunger and curiosity, and remain the dutiful son and heir.

But Odin was  _ not _ in charge and Thor did not want to waste any time with Loki.

“Excuse me, could I trouble you for a piece of your parchment?” Thor asked, quietly and calmly.

Loki-but-not-Loki did not answer, and slid a piece across the table to him, then withdrew another pen from his cloak and handed that over as well.

“My thanks for the gifts,” Thor said, tamping down a grin when red eyes flashed up at him.

_ Is it customary to exchange gifts for Jjardein?  _ he wrote.

With a quick glance to make sure the librarian was fully engaged in their own task and not looking, Thor quietly slid the paper back across the table to Loki.

Loki did not pick it up right away, and cast his own glance at the librarian. He looked up at Thor and gave him a look that plainly said to be careful.

But Thor was raised and made for battle. He was brave and liked to fight for what was important to him, and at this moment there was nothing more crucial to him than talking to Loki.

After a few more seconds of waiting, Loki drew the paper closer to himself, read what Thor had written, and smirked as he scribbled a response.

He slid the paper back and Thor wasted no time pulling it close and reading.

_ Read your books and find out, Asgardian. _

Thor pointedly turned a page and then three more until he saw Loki smile.

_ This book says yes. But I am in quite a predicament as I need to get a gift fitting for a prince. What should I do? _

He slid the paper over without checking for the librarian.

Loki, who knew better, paused again before pulling it forward.

The back and forth of what turned out to be an incredibly long list of presents Loki wanted became harder to hide as they struggled not to make noise or react visibly and draw attention to themselves. 

As they came to the last free space on their third sheet of paper, Loki wrote that he needed to depart soon as their words had given him an idea for what to do tonight and he had to gather the appropriate tools before then.

_ I suggest you wear something warm, _ Loki’s lovely script read.

_ I may still require your cloak, _ Thor answered.

_ You’re awfully needy, Thor. What do I get out of loaning you my clothes? _

_ You get to take them to bed while they still smell like me. And I smell great. _

The way Loki’s face fell when he read this reply made Thor’s heart stop. He had meant it as a joke, and hoped he didn’t push too far, but there was no time to write and ask. Loki quickly gathered the papers and tucked them into his cloak. Without saying a word, or looking at Thor, he picked up his book and returned it to the librarian before departing.

Thor lingered in the library, unable to focus on his book, but hoping that Loki would return.

“The library will be closing soon, Asgardian.”

It could not have been more than a few hours since Thor had come in, and it was barely midday, but he certainly was not going to argue. He returned the books, offered thanks once more, and then walked out feeling ashamed.

oooooo

The rest of the day passed torturously slowly. An hour or so after leaving the library, Thor decided to take a nap so he could better enjoy his time with Loki and hasten its arrival. Perhaps it should have wounded his pride that his absence from the palace and any meetings with the royal family went unnoticed and he was able to sleep for several hours without interruption.

But it didn’t!

Instead, Thor did a quick workout on the floor of his bedroom to release his excitement and wake his sleepy body up.

When he went to dinner that night, it was much easier to smile and eat his food without complaint knowing what he had to look forward to later and that Loki might bring him a treat.

He felt light, and a little cocky, even while Helblindi and Byleister ignored him.

_ I’m spending the evening with your brother _ .

Thor bade his father goodnight, and was relieved that he did not have to answer any questions about how his day was spent, and headed back to his room to kill time until Loki arrived.

Those hours passed the slowest of all.

Finally, long after everyone had gone to bed and Thor had done enough pushups to fulfill his exercise quota for the week, Thor heard a scratching sound on his door.

He opened it quickly, not even stopping to consider that such a sound was horrifying and could have come from some kind of demonic creature rather than the handsome face that stood before him.

“I’m so glad you came!” Thor said, unable to help himself.

Loki scowled at him and shot his hand up to cover Thor’s mouth. “Truly, you are on a mission today to hasten my death.”

Thor made no move to dislodge Loki and grinned underneath bony fingers. “I will be more cautious.”

The thin wrist pulled back and Loki gestured for Thor to follow him.

Instead of leaping back up onto the windowsill to follow the path they took the night before, Loki led Thor down the hallway in the opposite direction.

“Are we not returning to the moon catcher?” Thor whispered.

Loki paused and tucked into a corner, pulling Thor in as well and held a finger up to Thor’s lips. He understood why when yet again, guards' voices appeared followed by their footsteps.

A tiny itty bitty part of Thor’s brain wanted to ask Loki how he was able to tell when guards were about to approach, but that part was smothered by the overwhelming awareness at how close their bodies were. If Thor leaned forward a few inches he could press his hips against Loki’s.

It would be  _ unwise _ but that wasn’t the observation.

The cool touch of the digit on his lips remained, though Thor had clearly gotten the message to be quiet, and when Thor smiled underneath it the motion drew Loki’s attention.

Huddled in the dark like this, Loki’s eyes were even more striking. He slowly lowered his hand as they stared at each other and waited for the guards to pass.

When they were in the clear, Loki broke their eye contact and sharply turned back out into the hall.

They did eventually come to a low window that Loki climbed over, but instead of standing on the edge and hoisting himself onto the roof, he jumped down.

“How will we get back in?” Thor asked, poking his head over and looking at Loki just ten feet below.

“I have a plan, just trust me,” Loki hissed back.

Not one to argue with a handsome mischief maker, Thor climbed up and over and dropped down beside his companion.

“I see why you wanted me to dress warmly,” Thor said with a shiver as the wind whipped at him harshly without the walls of the palace to diffuse the vigor.

Loki glanced at him and then began walking. “See? You’ve no need for my cloak.”

“I’d still like it,” Thor replied as he fought not to chatter his teeth.

Those words alone were not particularly inflammatory, and it was terribly cold, but the look Loki gave Thor made it clear that he was still bothered by what Thor had written earlier.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable —” Thor began.

“You have to be careful, Thor,” Loki cut in.

When he did not expand on that, Thor nodded. “I’m sorry, Loki. I will be careful.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Thor’s shivers reached his jaw and the rattling caught Loki’s attention.

“Here,” he said as he paused and removed his cloak.

“You’re too kind, Loki,” Thor chattered as he reached out to accept it.

Those lovely red eyes rolled but Loki smirked. “I’ve already told you I’m not.”

Thor jostled his shoulder.

They walked until the palace was hidden by snow and fog and Loki led them down a hill to a wide flat area.

The bank was entirely covered in ice. Loki knelt down and summoned a long thin blade from his fingertip that glowed red. As he pressed it to the sparkly white surface, Thor saw it melt away in a clean slice as Loki drew a wide circle. Then Loki pressed his palm to the center of the circle and when he lifted it up, the chunk of ice stayed attached to his hand.

With a nonchalant toss, Loki threw it over his shoulder.

“Ta da,” he sang as water appeared before them.

“How did you do that?” Thor asked, mesmerized.

“Magic,” Loki answered simply as he reached into the hole and held his hand over the surface of the water.

“What are you doing now?”

“Shh!”

Thor was hesitant to sit down and place his ass directly on the ice, but he felt odd looming over Loki and watching him work. He looked around the space and spied a boulder, small enough that he could heft it himself but large enough that both he and Loki should fit on it — provided they sat very close to one another.

He jogged over to it and left Loki to his water bending or whatever the hell he was doing, and heaved the stone up. Waddling back with it in his arms was awkward, but Loki didn’t look up from his task.

The ground trembled slightly when Thor dropped the stone and Loki glared up at him.

“Do you mind? You’re scaring away the crabs!”

_ Ooh, crabs! _

Thor held up a hand in apology and took a seat on the rock. It was still cold, but had to be far more pleasant than ice and this way he was less likely to come away with a wet ass.

He watched Loki for several minutes before realizing that his lips were moving ever so slightly, and the space below his hand was glowing faintly green.

“Be ready to catch them,” Loki murmured so quietly Thor nearly missed it.

“Catch the crabs?”

Loki nodded, and then a moment later the water splashed wildly as two crabs shot up into Loki’s palms before they were thrown at Thor with a shriek.

If he hadn’t just been explicitly told to be ready, that yelp would have knocked him out of commission for how hard it made Thor laugh. He was nearly doubled over, cradling the two large crabs and wheezing as Loki scowled at him.

“What is so funny?”

“That  _ noise _ you made!” Thor howled.

Loki scooped up water and tossed it at Thor. Thankfully it only grazed the back of Thor’s hands and his clothing was spared, but it did sober him up.

“I will not be mocked by someone dressed like that,” Loki said as he stood up and walked a few paces away from the fishing hole he’d built.

“You’re right, Loki, I apologize. What would you like for me to do with these?” Thor asked as he watched Loki kneel down again and pull out three branches from his bag.

“Hold them a moment.”

The crabs were motionless in Thor’s hands, and as he looked down at them and wondered why he had not already been pinched, it occurred to Thor that these creatures may already be dead.

Loki arranged the sticks into a triangle, waved his fingers once more, and a flame appeared in the center. The longer Loki held his hand in front of it, the larger the blaze grew and after what could not have been more than ten seconds or so, a perfectly respectable cooking fire sat before the sorcerer.

“Place them in the fire,” Loki instructed.

“Are they...alive?” Thor asked as he stood up and joined Loki.

“Beast crabs enter hibernation states before they pass. They have short lifespans and when they can sense they’re near the end they like to burrow in hiding places and put themselves into a deep sleep. It’s what makes them so rare,” Loki explained.

“How did you find these?”

“ _ Magic _ ,” Loki repeated. “Now drop them in.”

Thor did as he was told and cautiously tossed them into the flames. “Will they wake up and be in pain?”

Loki frowned at him. “No, I would never do that to an animal. They will stay asleep and feel nothing.”

They watched the little creatures cook, and Thor retrieved the boulder from where he had dropped it and carried it over in front of the fire so he could be near Loki.

“Would you like to sit?” Thor asked, gesturing to the space beside him.

Loki eyed the space and raised an eyebrow at Thor, and then stood and walked over.

“You could go get me my own rock,” Loki murmured as he sat down so close that their thighs pressed against each other. “This is a tight fit.”

“My arms are tired,” Thor lied.

Whether he knew the truth of it or not, Loki rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“How will we know when they’re done?”

“One more minute.”

Though he was interested in the answer, Thor could not keep his focus on the crabs and help keep the time. He stared at Loki’s profile, enchanted by the reflection of the writhing flames in Loki’s eyes.

They were close enough that the firelight illuminated the delicate swirls and markings on Loki’s cheeks, unlike anyone else he’d seen.

“Ok, now we carefully remove them from the fire,” Loki said as he turned to his bag and withdrew a short metal poker. He handed it to Thor and waited.

“Oh, I’m removing them?”

“Yes. Be mindful of your fingers,” Loki answered, but just a second too late because Thor speared a crab and then immediately dropped it and instead of letting it fall and trying again, he reached out to catch it and then dropped it once more when it burned his hand.

“Ah!”

“Thor, I told you to be careful!” Loki admonished as he grabbed Thor’s wounded hand and immediately wrapped his own around the tender flesh.

Thor winced, prepared for the contact to sting and throb, but it felt like Loki’s hands were wrapped in ice, and soon he couldn’t feel the pain or the cold and a pleasant warm numbness settled over his palm and fingertips.

Loki took one of his hands off of Thors, but continued to hold him with the other as he took the poker and retrieved the crabs. He shook them off and onto the ice before them and then dropped the poker as well.

“Thank you, Loki,” Thor murmured.

“You’re a fool,” Loki replied.

The numbing effect made moving his fingers difficult, but Thor shifted to press his palm against Loki’s and then laced their fingers together.

Loki stopped fussing with the crabs and looked down at their hands as his breathing got shallower. “What are you doing?”

“I hurt my hand,” Thor answered.

Thor stared at Loki while Loki stared at their hands, and when Loki finally looked up at him Thor was  _ certain _ this time that the color in Loki’s cheeks was blushing.

“Do you need both hands to eat the crab?” Thor asked, tightening his grip as best he could.

“No,” Loki answered before a particularly violent gust of wind blew his curls into his eye.

Loki took the break to look away and prepare the crabs, and tried his best to hide his smile. It was ultimately a fruitless endeavor, with Thor sitting so close, and it absolutely thrilled Thor that after knowing each other for only a day all it took to make Loki blush was to hold his hand.

The little cracks of the crab legs and the hiss of the wind were the only sounds for several minutes as Thor gazed at the dark curls obscuring Loki’s cheeks.

When Loki finally sat up again, he held out a crab leg to Thor. “Just suck it out, I don’t have the right tools to open it.”

Thor did not take the leg from Loki’s hands, but leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the end of the leg. There was nothing sexy about it, it was a crab leg, and he was wary of pressing his lips too tightly against the little ridges that ran along the sides of the leg lest they tear his lips up. He tried sucking it out gently, but the meat inside didn’t budge. Thor removed his mouth and leaned back.

“I can’t get it,” he said with a pout.

“Good grief,” Loki said with another eyeroll. “Hold this,” he demanded, offering the opposite end of the leg to Thor, who took it with his free hand.

Either his fingers were slim enough to tug the meat out, or he used magic again, but Loki extracted the tender treat from inside the leg and held it up to Thor.

The decent thing to do would have been to put the empty crab leg down and take the meat out of Loki’s fingers with the hand that wasn’t holding Loki’s.

Instead, Thor repeated his earlier movement by leaning forward and opening his mouth.

The proper thing would have been for Loki to let go of the meat once Thor had a grip on it.

Instead, he held on until Thor had his lips wrapped around the tips of Loki’s pointer and middle fingers.

_ The decent thing to do _ would be to spit them out or apologize but everyone here knows that’s not what happened.

It was frightening to suck on a spiky crab leg, but Loki’s fingers were smooth and soft, and Thor took his time sliding his lips off of them.

Loki’s lips were parted and Thor could swear his blush was deeper.

They gazed at each other while Thor chewed and swallowed, and then Loki pulled his hand out of Thor’s grip and looked away.

“You’re not being careful.”

“We haven’t done anything wrong,” Thor protested, itching to reach out and take Loki’s hand back.

Loki shook his head as he leaned forward and scooped up the crabs before tossing one to Thor.

It was harmless flirting. Granted, Thor would not, and had never, been this brazen or forward with anyone else before. And holding someone’s hand had never made his own heart beat quite so hard, and he’d never sucked someone’s fingers and imagined it were their cock instead —

_ Ah. _

Thor said nothing as they ate their crabs, but the longer he used his injured hand the more the ache of the burn came back.

“Why are you wincing?” Loki asked, pausing just as he was about to take another bite.

“It’s just my hand, it’s hurting again,” Thor answered sheepishly, hoping Loki wouldn’t think he was trying to trick him.

Loki hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, and then held out his own hand for Thor to take.

Thor gently clasped it and then gave a thankful firm squeeze when Loki slotted their fingers together.

They stayed like that long after they finished eating their crabs.

_ Be careful _ .

If either of them were to be found at this moment, they would both be punished fiercely. Thor could explain away holding Loki’s hand as needing the touch to heal his injury and alleviate his pain, and he could even tell his father that he didn’t want to be rude by requesting more food and merely took up this helpful stranger on their offer to secure more calories away from the eyes of his future family. But there was no justification for the pink cheeks Thor knew he sported as well.

To sit this close to Loki, to touch him — and they had only known each other for a day. A day! Even for Thor, who liked to rush into things and live his life without doubt or overthinking, he had never felt himself so drawn to someone before.

He didn’t think there was anything particularly sinful about being attracted to Loki, provided he didn’t act on it in a way that would compromise his arranged marriage. What was traditionally considered the ‘act beyond redemption’ exclusively applied to vaginal intercourse, as it could result in pregnancy that might compromise lineage and throne rights.  _ Technically _ Thor could bury his face between Loki’s legs for the rest of the evening and Asgard could claim he had not violated his oath to his betrothed.

But Thor didn’t want to use Loki, or risk him suffering at the hands of an angry father and brother.

Thor would be careful.

Beyond the fire, a splash from the hole Loki made surprised the boys and made them jerk.

A little otter, no larger than Thor’s forearm, had popped out from the water and spat something onto the ice.

“What is that?” Thor murmured, leaning forward to get a better view at the little object that appeared to be glowing.

The otter was startled by Thor’s voice and immediately dove back into the water, leaving it’s treasure behind.

“It’s sea glass,” Loki answered. “Some creatures present each other with them during mating season.”

Thor stood from the boulder, and tugged on Loki’s hand to get him to follow. He walked them over to the hole and picked up the little rock.

Bluish green and lightly textured, it was glowing.

“Is it magical?” Thor asked as he turned it over in his hand before offering it to Loki.

Loki tried not to grin and took the stone from Thor. “It’s just a rock, Thor. Do you not have these on Asgard?”

Thor shrugged. “I haven’t seen one before, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have them.”

That earned him a fond smile, and Thor squeezed Loki’s hand in a way that he hoped read as silly and jovial.

“We should leave this here. That otter may come back for it,” Loki said as he knelt down and returned the pretty little pebble to the spot where the otter spat it out.

“I hope he does. That’s a fine gift for a mate.”

Loki nodded and then looked back at the fire behind them. “We should clean this up and get back.”

Neither of those things were appealing, but Thor knew Loki was right.

They reluctantly let go of each other’s hands and made quick work of tidying up all the evidence that they were there.

As they began their walk back, Thor held his hand out once more and tried not to make his pleasure too obvious when Loki took it.

“I return to Asgard tomorrow morning,” Thor murmured when the boys reached his bedroom.

“I know. My father reminded me this morning that I am not to attend your farewell,” Loki replied.

Thor squeezed Loki’s hand again. “So I won’t see you again until Jjardein?”

“Not unless you sneak back here with the apples you’ve promised.”

Entirely prepared to call a thunderstorm as protest that would ultimately lead to nothing since he absolutely could not ask his father for Loki to come visit, Thor frowned and turned to face Loki.

“Is there a way I can write you letters?”

Loki’s eyes widened for a moment. “You wish to continue talking?”

“Of course. I’ve had more fun with you in the last twenty four hours than I’ve had in the last twenty four years,” Thor replied without even having to think about it.

The way Loki smiled at him like it was a secret he wasn’t sure he should tell made Thor’s heart hammer.

“There is a way we could talk, a bit like we did in the library,” Loki said as he reached his free hand into his bag.

He pulled out a folded, worn piece of paper and offered it to Thor.

“This is part of a set, and I have the other page. I can write on mine and you will see the words appear on yours,” Loki explained.

“And I can write on mine and you’ll see it?” Thor asked.

Loki nodded. “But, Thor, you must be sure to keep it hidden. And don’t address me by name, in case anyone finds it.”

“What shall I call you?”

“You’ll think of something,” Loki replied with that same teasing smirk.

For what might have been the dozenth time that night, the boys gazed at each other until once again Loki looked away.

“I have to go.”

Thor tugged on his hand again in protest.

“I’ll come say goodbye to you tomorrow before you leave,” Loki said, tugging back mockingly.

“Really?” Thor asked brightly.

“Yes. Now get to sleep, Thor,” Loki answered.

“Thank you for the crabs, for everything, Loki,” Thor said as Loki began to walk away, tightening his hold.

“Goodnight, Thor,” Loki whispered, before pulling his hand back and disappearing down the dark corridor.

oooooo

Thor tried not to make his searching too obvious with his father standing beside him, but his eyes frantically danced around looking for any sign of Loki.

He hadn’t come back to Thor’s room that morning, the way Thor had expected him to, and Thor was worried he had somehow slept through their goodbye.

There was also the small matter of Loki’s cloak, which he had forgotten to return last night. Thor had tucked it into his bag and hoped it would stay hidden until he found a place to store it in his room at home.

Now Thor and his father were outside the palace, with only Laufey and his sons to see them off, and Thor knew the Bifrost would collect them at any moment.

“We will confirm your visit after we return,” Odin said.

Laufey gave a tight nod and Helblindi shared a look with his brother.

“Until then,” Laufey answered.

Odin lifted his spear to call to Heimdall, and just when Thor felt his stomach clench in disappointment, he saw the royal family of Jotunheim all look down right as he felt something brush against his ankle.

Thor looked down to see a little otter by his boot. The tiny creature stared up at him, and then spat something out and scattered away.

_ Sea glass _ .

Helblindi snorted. “Our wildlife have mistaken you for one of their own.”

Thor bent down and picked up the little rock and tried not to let his excitement show.

Laufey gave his son a sharp look and then nodded to Odin. “Farewell.”

As the Bifrost swallowed him and his father, Thor slipped the stone into his pocket and squeezed it tightly.

_ Thank you, Loki _ .

oooooo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading!


	4. Knowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for the sweet reviews!

oooooo

Thor wrote on the enchanted paper the moment he put his things down. He hastily pulled it out of his front pocket, unfolded it, and grabbed his finest quill.

_ Dearest Otter _ , he wrote.

_ Thank you for the sea glass! I held it in my pocket for the entire walk from the Bifrost to my bedroom. It is now on the table beside my bed and I think it brightens the room up. _

_ I’m glad I got to see you before leaving. You make a very fine otter. Do otters eat fish heads? You’ll have to find out and report back. _

_ Once I unpack my things I will go to see my mother and tell her about the trip. Don’t worry, I will be careful, as promised. _

_ I wanted to let you know that I made it back safely, and to thank you for my gift. I had a wonderful time with you and look forward to hearing from you soon. _

_ — Thor _

That would do for now. He could write again later tonight when there was more to report, and Thor fully intended to visit the library and begin taking notes from books on magic for Loki. It wouldn’t be the same as Loki getting to read them himself, but Thor hoped it would be interesting.

He turned the paper over, so his words were hidden, and placed it on his mattress before covering it with a pillow. The sheets were already fresh and the bed made, it was unlikely that anyone would come in and fuss with his things and spy the note. Finding a more permanent and secure hiding place would come once Thor had a moment to stop and let himself rest.

Before he could do anything, Thor was desperate for a hot bath. He had slept little after staying out so late with Loki, and his ice bath from the morning before was wholly unsatisfying.

A nice long soak sounded perfect.

Thor stripped off his clothes as he stepped into his bathing chamber and stoppered the drain in the tub. His wise and wonderful mother educated Thor on the usefulness and joy of soaking in various oils and soaps and no amount of warrior’s pride could persuade Thor that a sweetly perfumed marination was not as good for the mind as the body.

As gloriously hot water gushed out and made ready a warm pool for Thor to relax in, he slowly pulled things out of his pack and put them away.

Not much had traveled with him to Jotunheim, and what little he had packed besides clothes were gifts for Helblindi he had neither picked out nor handed to the prince. They had gone from his pack to his father’s hands to who even knew where. Supposedly to his betrothed, but Thor wasn’t concerned enough to ask.

His dirtied linens dropped into a hamper as Thor nonchalantly tugged them out and tossed them aside. Beyond the few personal grooming items he traveled with, the only other thing in his pack was Loki’s cloak.

In the daylight, Thor could see that the garment was well-worn and falling apart in some areas. It could not possibly have been intended for Loki’s use, as it was far too large for his small frame, and it was too plain to be worn by a prince.

Thor remembered the shirt Loki was forced to wear and grimaced.

Someone that lovely should be kept in soft beautiful things with delicate embroidery and fine details. No less than a hundred jewels should be draped over his long limbs and woven into his hair at all times. Perhaps on his next visit Thor could sneak over a few more gifts for the neglected royal.

Though he had joked about returning it to Loki smelling like him, when Thor brought the cloak up to his face and inhaled deeply, the aroma was entirely Loki.

Inexplicable. Something woody like amber, but entirely unique. Did snow have a scent? In any case, Thor sniffed until the water threatened to spill over the lip of the tub and flood his bathroom, before lowering his arms and letting out a happy sigh.

As far as he could remember, Helblindi had not smelled like anything. Or if he did, Thor wasn’t looking for it.

Not wanting to risk leaving the cloak in a vulnerable spot in his room while he bathed, as it would create a larger more noticeable lump under his pillow than a sheet of paper, Thor brought it into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

He pulled over the tiny wooden stool he usually used for sitting on while washing his body before soaking, and gently rested the cloak on top to keep it dry and off of the floor.

The moment the tips of his toes touched the steamy water Thor felt like melted candle wax. He poured himself into the bath and groaned when his butt came to rest on the smooth bottom.

_ What a treat _ .

Thor wondered if hot baths existed on Jotunheim. It seemed unlikely given how frigid Thor’s bathing accommodations were, and truthfully he was not entirely confident that Jotuns were not heat averse.

He would have to scribble off a note to Loki and ask.

It bothered him to think of Loki going his entire life without enjoying this pleasure. That he could be deprived of having his naked body all wet and warm and relaxed…

_ Uh oh _ .

Thor’s cock appreciated the warmth too.

There was no sense in sitting there feeling miserable with an ache between his legs, especially when Thor meant to unwind and release tension.

_ As long as I don’t think about Loki _ .

He had the decency to have the preliminary thought, and abandoned it the second ‘ _ think about Loki _ ’ turned into  _ ‘I wonder if Loki is thinking about me’ _ .

With his back comfortably settled against the angled back of the tub and one hand already swimming in between his legs, Thor sighed and closed his eyes.

The surface bubbled before him as Thor began to stroke himself.

_ Sea glass _ .

He would have to find some way to return Loki’s gracious present. Thor imagined returning to Jotunheim and Loki looking at him expectantly, waiting to receive something special, but oh no Thor lost his bag of expensive goodies and had nothing to offer except his body. There would be no choice but to get down on his knees, spread Loki’s thighs, and put his mouth to good use. But Loki would be needy and greedy, and having expected a barrel of apples and a bucket of diamonds he wouldn’t be satisfied until Thor made him come from his prick.

The tiny prince would writhe under Thor while his warm body swallowed Thor’s over and over and over and over —

When he knew he was close, Thor reached out and blindly grabbed for Loki’s cloak. He tilted his head back further, to avoid the fabric touching the bath water, and brought it to his face to bury his nose in that scent and lose himself in the last piece of Loki he had outside of his own head.

He moaned loudly when he came, grateful that his face was covered and the sound muffled.

Spent and panting, Thor didn’t move for several minutes and let his orgasmicly loose limbs luxuriate in this release.

There was no denying what he imagined and wanted, but Thor told himself it was fine to fantasize and he shouldn’t feel guilty. Even as he removed his future brother-in-law’s cloak from his face and replaced it on the stool, he shooed away any guilt or nagging voice that told him this was improper and selfish.

What could be selfish about wanting Loki to experience the joy of multiple orgasms?

Though the water was decidedly less clean now, Thor stayed in and kept his eyes shut.

_ It’s just a harmless crush. It’s sexual attraction and fraternal chemistry. Normal and unavoidable. _

With no jury or judge, the only person to convince was himself.

_ It’s fine _ .  _ This is fine _ .

oooooo

Finally dry and dressed, Thor jotted down a few more thoughts for Loki on the paper and returned it to its hiding place.

Perhaps he and Loki should have discussed the schematics of the paper in better detail, as Thor was not entirely sure that Loki received his earlier message. Did he have to do anything special to get the words to send? Was there a particular instrument he was meant to write with?

He would fret more about it later, but first he needed to go entertain his mother with tales of his trip.

While carefully trimming roses from a bush in her garden, Frigga put down the clippers and opened her arms wide when she spotted her child.

Thor wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed so tightly she had to chastise him to let her take a breath before he bruised a rib.

This was how Thor liked to hug: deeply and with a possibility of sustaining an internal bruise. Anything else was a waste of time.

“It’s good to see you, my sweet boy,” Frigga said as she cupped Thor’s cheeks. “You look bright and happy, I think the trip was fruitful. Let’s have tea and I want to hear everything.”

She linked her arm with his and led him into her sitting room where they liked to enjoy snacks together. The attending page hurried off for their lunch and left the mother to fuss over her child.

“I see you’ve had a bath,” she said as she tucked damp strands of the blond he inherited from her behind his ears.

For the briefest of moments, Thor panicked wondering if there was a way she could tell what he had done in the bath, and took a deliberate calming breath.

“Yes,” he replied. “I did not want to be ungrateful, but the bath water on Jotunheim was freezing.”

Frigga smiled at him and patted his knee. “My gracious son. It’s possible that Laufey would have arranged for you to have hot water, or at least directed you to a hot spring.”

Thor’s eyebrows rose at this. “They have hot springs on Jotunheim?”

“Certainly,” Frigga answered. “Ages ago when we engaged in trade with Jotunheim the springs were a popular draw for weary travelers.”

“I will ask to go to one on my next visit.”

A knock at the door drew Frigga away from petting her son and she opened it to accept the tray the page carried.

Hardly a visit passed with his mother without some sort of sweet involved. Even if Thor popped in to bother her while she combed her hair, he would paw through her drawers for a candy and then continue with his tales.

She placed the contents on the low ornate table in front of her settee and held the plate stacked high with berries out to her son.

It would be rude not to accept, and Thor gobbled down a handful with a grin.

Frigga poured two cups of tea and placed them on delicate saucers to protect their hands from the heat. As she took her seat beside Thor once more, she paused to admire him.

“You look very happy, dear. So there was someone special for you on Jotunheim?” she asked before bringing up her cup and blowing gently on the steaming beverage.

Thor choked down his berries and considered how best to navigate this conversation. Although he and his mother always protected each other’s confidences, and he was not afraid of her reporting his misbehavior to his father, Thor did not want her to be disappointed in him for spending his time with someone he’d been expressly forbidden to.

“There was,” he answered after a moment.

His mother tucked her legs up beneath her and raised her eyebrows expectantly. “You enjoyed your time with the prince?”

To give himself a brief buffer, Thor plucked a few more berries off of the plate and chewed them slowly.

He didn’t want to lie…

“I don’t know how much Helblindi and I have in common, or his brother for that matter.”

“Which brother?”

Thor nearly jumped at that and was grateful to have his face directed at his tea instead of his mother’s ever-knowing eyes.

“Byleistr,” he replied. “The two spent most of their time together. I joined them for a day of their usual activities and we do not like to spend our time the same way.”

Frigga sipped her tea and Thor wondered how much she knew about the other prince that Thor wasn’t meant to know.

She waited patiently for him to continue, and Thor debated giving her details about the day he had endured and disliked, or asking more about the person who made the day he enjoyed so special.

“You were there for more than one day, how did you spend your time when you were not with prince Helblindi?” Frigga asked, seeming to hide her mouth behind her cup.

“I went to the library.”

“I’ll bet that was quite a different experience from what you are accustomed to here,” Frigga replied.

Thor nodded and picked up his tea. “They restrict knowledge. The books are hidden away in a back room, and you have to ask the librarian to fetch them for you. You also cannot take them out and have to sit and read at a table and then return them. It’s like they don’t want their citizens to learn things.”

“King Laufey has long feared what certain knowledge in what he believes to be the wrong hands could bring about to his kingdom.”

“Certain knowledge?” Thor asked.

Frigga smiled knowingly at her son. “What drew you to the library, Thor?”

He sincerely hoped that his eyes had not actually widened as much as it felt like they did.

“I wanted to read about Jjardein,” he tried, but it came out rushed and jerky.

Thor was never able to successfully or comfortably lie to his mother.

“That was the only reason?” she pressed, calmly.

Raising his teacup up to his face to hide his twitching mouth, Thor gave what he hoped read as a nonchalant shrug. “I also asked if they had any books on magic,” he answered quickly.

Frigga, smoothly and kindly, without giving him a hard time or making him feel like he had done something wrong, continued. “And were you given any books on that subject?”

Thor swallowed his tea and shook his head. “No. The librarian said they didn’t have any available.”

“What made you ask for them in the first place?”

“Uh…”

Frigga untucked her legs and sat up to place her teacup on the table. “I am delighted to hear that you have an interest in seidr, Thor. But I am curious as to what brought it on so suddenly.”

Thor squirmed a bit, sipping his tea and trying to come up with the best way to answer her.

“I met someone. A friend!” he corrected quickly. “They told me that there are no books on seidr anymore and how the practice is almost entirely forgotten on Jotunheim and I was just curious.”

“And your friend is interested in magic as well?” she asked with no trace of judgment or scorn.

“He is,” Thor began. “And he can do a bit, but I wanted to see if I would be permitted to read books others could not and then I could tell him what they said.”

The quiet sound of tea pouring out of the pot and into her cup made Thor feel like he had to fill the space with more talking.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble or do anything I shouldn’t, I was just shocked to learn that he was not free to pursue his interests.”

With her cup full once more, Frigga took another sip and nodded. “It’s quite thoughtful of you to want to assist your friend. You do risk angering their king, however, by circumventing his laws to pass such knowledge along.”

His stomach clenched uncomfortably and Thor faced his mother with a guilty expression. “I meant no harm,” he said, casting his eyes down.

“I know, sweet boy. Helping others at the expense of your own neck has forever been your nature, and it is admirable and terrifying for your mother. Perhaps you could soothe my nerves by staying true to yourself, but just being a bit more careful,” she replied, evenly but pointedly.

There was no way she could have known that Loki had repeatedly told him the same thing and yet…

“I will, mother,” Thor said, meaning every word.

She patted his knee and nodded. “Thank you. Now, tell me more about your friend.”

“Ah, yes, well — he’s very clever,” Thor began. “I think you would like him. He has a sharp tongue and a quick wit, and he knows things.”

“What sorts of things?” Frigga asked, genuinely interested.

“He told me all about these things called moon catchers,” Thor answered, shifting to face his mother better now that he was less afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“Oh, yes, I remember the moon catchers. They’re quite beautiful.”

Thor nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, they are! The one we saw looked like there were waves moving underneath the surface.”

“Your friend took you to see one? I understood them to be quite difficult to reach,” Frigga replied.

“Oh, yes, well… he showed me how to climb things and, um… the point is it was very beautiful,” Thor said quickly.

Bless his mother for not scolding him, but something in her gaze told Thor that she was aware of more than she let on.

In fact, with her gift of sight —

Thor opened his mouth to ask her if she had any visions of his travels on Jotunheim and knew anything about his friend, hoping the answer was ‘no’, but Frigga spoke first.

“Here, Thor, you should eat something more substantial,” she said, reaching for another place from the tray the page had brought that contained some greens and small portions of game.

He took the plate with a small ‘thanks’ and set down his teacup.

“I’m glad you made a friend, Thor,” she said after he took a bite of food. “When someone special comes into our lives, we never know how our stories will intertwine and where the fates will lead us, or what they have in store.”

Thor waited for her to continue that thought, but when she placed a berry in her mouth and said nothing further Thor returned to his meal.

Her words were true. What the fates had in store and what his father and Laufey had in store were already different, and Thor could not imagine what the future held for him and Loki. Their stories would likely be connected by virtue of becoming family, once Thor married Helblindi.

The thought suddenly made him sick.

He stopped chewing and put the fork down, staring blankly ahead.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Frigga asked, reaching out to gently place the back of her hand on his forehead.

Thor struggled to swallow the food in his mouth and nodded. “Yes, I just, it just hit me that I am to marry Prince Helblindi.”

“Oh, darling,” she said sympathetically, moving her hand to cup his cheek. “As I said, Thor. We make our plans, but we don’t know what the Fates intend.”

He raised a hopeful eyebrow at her, reversing his earlier hope and wondering if she had seen something that would get him out of his marriage.

But she could give him no details, and likely wouldn’t anyway. She had always told him not to concern himself with plans or things set out beyond his control, and assured him that his will and the decisions he made were every bit as important as anything mapped out before his birth.

Thor didn’t always see how that was possible, for if grander beings than he who ultimately called the shots had one path in store for him, then no amount of his kicking and screaming were likely or able to change that.

And yet, Thor trusted his mother. There was no sadness in her eyes, though her tone was kind and understanding, and sometimes her grief told Thor of truths she was not allowed to speak.

At this moment she looked almost amused, not entirely dissimilar to how Loki looked at him.

He picked up his fork once more and slowly resumed his lunch, wondering if he should share any of this in his letter to Loki, and what the other prince would say.

ooooo

Three months had passed since Thor returned from Jotunheim and he still had not worked out how to use Loki’s enchanted paper correctly.

His original note remained on the page, though now each side and all margins were completely filled with his thoughts and even asking Loki if he was doing this correctly.

But the words never faded, or sent as Thor imagined they would, and he never woke up to see anything from Loki, though his hand dove under his pillow to check first thing every morning.

A better hiding place was still forthcoming.

Instead of waiting for the secrets of the parchment to reveal themselves to him, Thor took up a stack of perfectly normal non-magical paper and began writing letters to Loki that he intended to deliver in person when he returned to Jotunheim at the end of the year. He wanted to continue recording his days, his thoughts, and little stories for Loki, and the stack grew quickly.

So far, Thor had tried out a variety of nicknames to address these messages to, believing this to be the  _ careful _ mode of operation.

_ Dearest Otter _

_ Your shiny blue eminence _

_ Keeper of the eyes and apples _

_ Loops _

And every time he finished one, Thor would fold it neatly and tuck it away in the back of a drawer underneath his winter underwear.

No one should be digging around back there.

Helblindi, Byleistr, and Laufey were coming to Asgard today for a brief visit and Thor was both dreading having to spend time with the princes and hopeful that someone may let slip news of Loki.

Thor wondered if he could get away with casually asking one of the princes, “How fares your brother?” and if it would be interpreted as polite interest rather than a desperate need to hear.

For though Thor had not spoken to Loki, much less seen him, in so long now, his excitement and enthusiastic attraction to the other prince had not abated in the slightest since their last meeting.

The only difference now from the day he returned home was that Thor no longer bothered feeling even remotely guilty for pleasuring himself to thoughts of his friend.

He was not much of an artist, and should any realistic identifiable rendering of the other prince be found in Thor’s rooms he would likely be in a world of trouble, so Thor settled for trying to find jewels with Loki’s colors to keep the image of the other prince fresh.

Sapphires did not have quite the same otherworldly glow that Loki’s skin did, but Thor collected them nonetheless. Each one he picked up stayed in a bowl on his bedside table.

Rubies and garnets did not do justice to Loki’s eyes, but they were similar enough that if Thor lit a candle and placed it behind one of the little gems while he held it up and squinted he could imagine it was Loki glaring at him.

Onyx and obsidian similarly could not match Loki’s curls, and they were hard and solid where Loki’s hair looked soft and had bounced so freely in the night wind.

But Thor would settle for what he could get.

He wondered what stones Loki would collect if he wanted to keep himself in Thor’s colors, and shook his head at the image.

No one commented on his bedside table full of gemstones or questioned why he would want such a thing. Frigga looked at it extremely pointedly when she saw his treasures, and admired the sea glass most.

“A gift from someone special?” she had asked.

Thor had turned pink and she didn’t tease him further.

On this visit, he hoped to keep Helblindi out of his room entirely, and reasoned that should be acceptable as he had not been given a tour of the prince’s quarters on his visit.

They were only going to be here for two and a half days, possibly less if the heat was overwhelming to them.

Honoring his duty, Thor did plan things to entertain the princes, but he could not imagine they would be any more inclined to spend time with him than they were on Jotunheim.

Thor stood in the Bifrost chamber beside his father and mother to greet the party once they arrived.

The visit turned out to be quicker than Thor anticipated.

Heimdall welcomed the two figures as the wild lights of the Bifrost shone around them.

Laufey appeared with Helblindi, each carrying a small wrapped parcel.

“King Laufey,” Odin greeted once the Jotuns had their bearings.

“Odin,” Laufey replied.

He turned his hard expression to Thor and narrowed his eyes.

“This will not be a long visit,” he began. “We are here to fulfill our agreement for the princes to see each other, for my son to take in the realm, and to bring you the items discussed.”

Odin kept his composure, but Thor knew his father’s expression as a warning one.

“We have arranged rooms for you, and both of your sons,” Odin replied, and Thor frowned at the deliberate omission of Loki. “Plans were made for your entertainment.”

Helblindi dropped his chin and rolled his eyes, but he was so tall that everyone saw.

Laufey was unswayed. “The summer months were a poor time to plan a trip. This heat is not agreeable to us and I’ll not have us suffer just to keep up appearances.”

Frigga stepped forward. “If it would be helpful, I could shift your skin to make the weather here less uncomfortable. Or perhaps enchant some snow to stay on your shoulders.”

For the first time since he arrived, Laufey turned to look at the queen and sneered. “We should not have to change our forms just to accommodate Asgard.”

She nodded, with the grace and bearings of a queen, and said nothing.

“Here,” Laufey said, holding out his parcel to Odin.

Helblindi mirrored his father’s movements, holding his out to Thor, and refused to look at him.

Thor and his father accepted them and nodded their thanks.

“We should return now,” Laufey said.

The temptation to ask about Helblindi’s ‘brother’ was great, and Thor felt a pang at realizing that since he absolutely could not do so with his father beside him he would not have a chance at all. There was no way to get a message to Loki, and no way for Thor to subtly hint for Helblindi that he wanted to know.

He refrained from pouting and tried to appear composed.

“Thor has also arranged gifts for Prince Helblindi,” Odin began. “We can send them along at another time.”

Laufey nodded and gripped his son’s elbow to turn him back around.

When they were gone, Thor turned to his mother and raised an eyebrow.

She winked at him and put a hand on her son’s shoulder.

“Let’s not put your plans to waste, Thor. Go unwrap your gift and then we will make use of your itinerary,” she said as they began to walk back to the palace, leaving Odin behind to discuss something with Heimdall. 

Thor grinned at her. “That sounds great.”

oooooo

Though he was not terribly enthusiastic about receiving a gift from Helblindi, by the time Thor reached his room he noticed that the parcel had a strange smell and hastened to open it.

He couldn’t leave something like that sitting around growing stinkier.

Inside were packets of dried fish, something he knew to be a customary gift, but these were long dried and seasoned and after Thor brought one up to his nose he determined they were not the source of the odor.

The package had them all stuffed in and loose, and when Thor shuffled the tiny fish around he revealed his true gift.

_ A beast crab _ .

It was definitely dead, and not preserved the way the fish were, and Thor knew, absolutely  _ knew _ that Loki had put it there.

Perhaps as a reminder of their evening, or an inconspicuous effort to show Thor he was thinking about him, or possibly a punishment to Thor for not writing to him since it stank and Thor wasn’t even sure if he could cook it at this point.

But it was a message all the same.

Thor picked up the crab and clutched it to his heart, uncaring and unaware of how absurd he looked.

Loki was still thinking about him.

He glanced over at the presents he had arranged, with the help of his mother, for Helblindi and wondered if there was a safe way for him to sneak something for Loki in there as well, or if he would truly need to wait until the end of the year for the Jjardein festivities to shower the youngest prince of Jotunheim with gifts.

With the crab still held to his chest, Thor fell back onto his bed and closed his eyes as he beamed.

Hugging this dead crustacean was the happiest he felt in weeks.  _ Loki sent him a gift! _

A knock on his door startled Thor out of his grinning and he jumped up so as not to be caught snuggling the deceased sea creature.

“Come in,” he called.

Frigga entered and raised her eyebrows at Thor’s hands.

“A gift from a prince?” she asked as she closed the door behind her.

“Yes, it was hidden in the dried fish,” Thor said, nodding to the package that lay open on his desk.

She pulled her lips into a surprised ‘oh’ and then grinned at him. “Beast crabs are quite rare.”

“Oh yes, my friend told me,” Thor said, walking back to his desk and awkwardly placing the crab back down onto the pile of fish.

“Someone must have gone to a lot of trouble to procure that for you,” she said, and Thor once more felt that her expression said she knew more than she said.

He gently traced his fingertips over the crab’s shell and nodded. “It is a fine gift.”

“Did your friend happen to tell you how best to prepare them?” Frigga asked.

“Yes we cooked, er, um, he told me how to cook it over a fire,” Thor answered, avoiding her gaze and pretending to mess with the dried fish instead.

“That sounds lovely. Why don’t we begin our activities by putting your friend’s wisdom to use,” Frigga suggested as she stepped over to her son.

Thor looked up at her and raised his eyebrows. “Really? Where will we make the fire?”

Frigga began to rewrap the parcel. “I can conjure one for us out in the garden. It’s a lovely day and it would be a shame to miss any of this sunshine.”

Mother and child linked arms and headed out.

Too relieved at not having to answer any questions about cooking with his friend or explain why he was holding the crab when he came in, Thor’s distraction made him miss the way his mother smiled at him.

She knew.

oooooo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter is Jjardein :3

**Author's Note:**

> https://twitter.com/thejammys_


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